History's Angel

A darkly funny, sharply observed, and deeply moving novel about the surprises and struggles of life in contemporary Delhi _____________________ 'A beautiful novel exploring tensions in modern India' OBSERVER 'Confirms Anjum Hasan as one of the most important writers of our time' WILLIAM DALRYMPLE Alif is a middle-aged, mild-mannered history teacher, living in contemporary Delhi, at a time in India’s history when Muslims are seen either as hapless victims or live threats. Though his life's passion is the history he teaches, it's the present that presses down on him: his wife is set on a bigger house and a better car while trying to ace her MBA exams; his teenage son wants to quit school to get rich; his supercilious colleagues are suspicious of a Muslim teaching India's history; and his old friend Ganesh has just reconnected with a childhood sweetheart with whom Alif was always rather enamored himself. And then the unthinkable happens. While Alif is leading a school field trip, a